Multiple sources indicate that the Rams placed top wide receiver Cooper Kupp on injured reserve, meaning he would miss at least the first four weeks of the season.
Head coach Sean McVay had already ruled Kupp out of Sunday’s season opener against the Seahawks.
Kupp missed the Rams’ games against the Seahawks, 49ers, Bengals, and Colts by selecting to be an injured reserve on Saturday. He won’t be able to play again until the Rams’ Week 5 meeting against the Eagles.
He visited a Minnesota specialist last weekend after experiencing a setback in his hamstring during practice.
According to The Athletic, the Rams are attempting to determine whether Kupp’s injury is related to a neurological problem or a soft-tissue problem.
During the week, McVay told reporters, “Just dealing with some soft-tissue stuff, just trying to get him to feel back to normal.” “He won’t be playing for us in the interim, but we’ll have him back when that happens.”
Without Kupp, wide receivers Van Jefferson, Tutu Atwell and Puka Nacua become the top three wideouts competing for targets from Matthew Stafford alongside tight end Tyler Higbee. The Rams already needed to navigate without Kupp for eight games last season. He’d caught 75 passes for 812 yards and six touchdowns across their first eight-plus games, but in Week 9 against the Cardinals, Kupp sustained the ankle injury when he attempted to catch a pass and Arizona cornerback Marco Wilson knocked Kupp to the ground with a hit around the ankle.
